Since long ago, Quảng Yên shrimp cakes have been more than just a seafood dish served at meals in the countryside by the Bach Dang estuary; they are also a delicious dish served to guests from afar.
Quảng Yên Shrimp Cakes – A Culinary Gift for Welcoming Guests in the Bach Dang Countryside
The dish Quảng Yên shrimp cakes has long become part of the customs of the people of Quảng Yên Town. When visiting Quảng Ninh via Quảng Yên, travelers will have the opportunity to enjoy this delicious dish. The shrimp used to make the cakes must be shrimp raised on Hà Nam Island or from Quảng Yên town.
Quảng Yên shrimp. Photo: Quảng Ninh Newspaper.
With its large areas of coastal tidal flats and numerous ponds and lagoons, Quảng Yên Town has many advantages for developing aquaculture. Therefore, the shrimp used to make shrimp cakes must be fresh and live—ideally newly harvested and still lively enough to jump.
Fresh shrimp used to make shrimp cakes. Photo: VanHoa.
The shrimp are washed, shelled, deveined, and finely chopped. The water chestnut, shallots, and pork fat are then diced, added to a mortar, and pounded with the shrimp before seasoning to taste. It is the hand-pounding, together with the natural sweetness of the water chestnut and the rich, creamy touch of pork fat, that makes shrimp cakes a regular feature on Tết feast menus and celebratory meals for welcoming guests.
Shrimp noodle soup is also popular in Quảng Yên. Photo: Quảng Ninh Newspaper.
After being pounded until smooth, the shrimp mixture is shaped by hand into rounds or wrapped around lemongrass stalks. The fragrance of lemongrass blends with the shrimp cakes, making the dish even more enticing. The shrimp cakes are dipped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried so that the inside is tender and cooked while the outside is crisp.
Water chestnuts. Photo: thuocdantoc.org.
Shrimp cakes can be prepared and presented in many different ways, but the most important step is hand-pounding, which gives the shrimp meat a chewy texture and allows it to absorb the seasoning. The dish Quảng Yên shrimp cakes can be served with sweet-and-sour fish sauce, chili sauce, or a combination of chili sauce and creamy mayonnaise.
Shrimp cakes served with bánh dày. Photo: Thật là ngon.
Quảng Yên shrimp cakes are best enjoyed with plain sticky rice or bánh dày. The soft, chewy grains of sticky rice and the fragrant, chewy glutinous-rice cake blend with the shrimp cakes, which are both rich and sweet. At family meals, death anniversaries, Tết celebrations, weddings, and engagement ceremonies, shrimp cakes are prepared to demonstrate the host’s culinary skill and to introduce guests from afar to a dish from the local homeland.
Shrimp cakes. Photo: Quảng Ninh Newspaper.
If you travel to explore Quảng Ninh, remember to stop by the Bach Dang estuary to enjoy Quảng Yên shrimp cakes, brimming with the area’s time-honored local flavors and the warm hospitality of its people. And be sure to follow the iVIVU blog for more useful guide articles to help with your trip!
